Category: New Testament

Books of the New Testament

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New Testament View of the Law

The New Testament’s View of the Law

 

 

Introduction

Some claim that we are under the ‘dispensation of grace’, and no longer under the ‘dispensation of the law’. Some claim that we are ‘free from the law’ as one song declares, “Free from the Law, oh happy condition!” What do the Scriptures say regarding the Law? This paper will examine what the “New Testament” writers stated concerning the Law, and common views of the Law in light of the ‘New Testament’.

 

The following premises will be assumed:

 

 1. God has complete sovereignty. Yehovah places all government leaders, and He does not merely “let” them come to power. The powers that be are ordained of God.

 

2. Yehovah is all knowing.

 

3. Yehovah, His Word, His mind and His plan are changeless. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word is Truth, and cannot be altered and still be truth. His will never changes or improves. Yehovah has no alternate plans. They originated with complete knowledge of all that man would do. Yehovah’s plan will be perfectly and completely fulfilled.

 

 4. Every command given by Yehovah can be completely obeyed by the one commanded. Yehovah never gives a command without giving complete ability to fulfill it.

 

5. Yehovah chooses and discriminates. He treats each one individually, and each will be judged individually. Yehovah is never unfair; He rewards the faithful on the basis of obedience.

 

6. Perfection is the highest possible attainment, and is never based upon physical ability or the condition of the mortal body. It is always based upon the obedience of faith, and Yehovah is able to give power to the Saint to walk perfectly before Him.

 

7. Messiah’s blood alone can turn away unrighteous.

 

8. The obedience of faith, alone, can maintain the Saint’s righteousness. Any Saint who sins cannot claim to be righteous based upon the righteousness of the Messiah. The wages of sin is death.

 

9. The Law will also be called the Torah (teaching), and refers to Genesis through Joshua. The Law of Yehovah = the Law of Moses, and was given only to Israel as the rule of daily conduct.

 

 

Did Any Maintain to Keep the Law after Pentecost?

Acts 21:20 And when they heard, they glorified Yehovah, and said unto him, “Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the Law. And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? The multitude must needs come together; for they will hear that thou art come. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them. Take them, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads; and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the Law.” …Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them, entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

 

Acts 25:14 “But this I confess unto thee, that after The Way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing ALL things which are written in the Law and in the prophets; and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and men. Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings.”

 

Acts 25:8 …while he answered for himself, “Neither against the Law of the Jews, neither against the Temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended anything at all.”

 

Acts 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days, Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, “Men Brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered…”

 

Acts 22:12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me [Paul], and stood, and said unto me, ‘Brother Saul, receive thy sight.’ And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth. For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now, why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins calling on the Name of the Lord!'”

 

Many thousands of Jews believed in Messiah Yeshua and kept the Law, including Paul and Ananias who led Paul to faith.

 

Paul’s Bible is next shown:

 

Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the Kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Yeshua, both out of the Law of Moses, and the prophets, from morning to evening.

 

 

The Law is not a Tool of Justification; Justification by the Works of the Law Produces a Curse

Galatians 2:15 “We who are Jews by nature… [know] that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Messiah Yeshua… Even we have believed in Messiah Yeshua, that we might be justified by the faith of Messiah, and NOT by the works of the Law; for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.”

 

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the Law to do them.” But that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident: for, “The just shall live by faith.”

 

Romans 3:20a Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight…

 

Galatians 5:4 Messiah is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the Law…

 

Acts 13:39 And by [Yeshua] all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses.

 

Some view the Torah as a way of justification and/or salvation prior to Messiah’s death and resurrection. The sacrifices never took away sin. Anyone attempting to justify himself by doing the works of the Law sets himself under a curse.

 

 

Righteousness Cannot Be Obtained by the Law Nor the Keeping of the Law

Galatians 2:21 …if the righteousness come by the Law, then Messiah is dead in vain.

 

The Law has no provision for rendering an unrighteous individual righteous.

 

 

The Law Is Not Against the Promises of God

Galatians 3:21 Is the Law then against the promises of God? No indeed! For if there had been a Law given which could have given life, verily righteousness would have then been via the Law…

 

The promises of God are for life. The Torah neither negates nor establishes these, but does state them.

 

 

Redemption Does Not Come via the Law

Galatians 4:4 …but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

 

The Law could not redeem.

 

 

Circumcision obtained to Come Under the Law Is Not Desirable

Galatians 5:2 “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, the Messiah shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. The Messiah is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”

 

All under the Law need redeeming, Messiah excepted. (Those who are redeemed and keep the Law will be discussed later.) Being circumcised in order to enter into the Law forces one to keep the entire Law, and negates the profit of Messiah. Such a person falls from grace.

 

 

Perfection Is Not via the Law

Hebrews 7:19 For the Law made nothing perfect…

 

The Law was never intended to render anyone perfect before Yehovah, and it has no such power. Any attempt to obtain perfection via the Torah will be unsuccessful.

 

 

The Law Is Not Voided through Faith

Romans 3:31 Do we make void the Law through faith? NO WAY! Indeed, we establish the Law!

 

Some believe that the Law of God is voided when one comes to faith, and even that the Law itself voids the possibility of faith. Paul did not believe these errors.

 

 

The Law Does Not Affect the Abrahamic Promise

Romans 4:13 For the promise, that [Abraham] should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham or to his seed through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.

 

The Law does not affect the promise Yehovah made to Abraham. It was made outside of and before the Torah.

 

 

The Law Is Not Sin

Romans 7:7 What shall we say, then? Is the Law sin? NO WAY!

 

Some who hold the theology of “free from the Law” make the Law sin! (They should be rejoicing for being free from sin, and practice to prove it!)

 

 

The Law Had a Weakness: the People!

Romans 8:3 For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh…

 

Had people of Israel been absolutely righteous, the Law would have been perfectly kept. The weak link was not the design of the Torah (which is perfect), but the people (to whom the Law was entrusted).

 

 

Any Part of Man Not Subject to the Law of God Is Enmity Against God

Romans 8:7 …because, the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God: neither indeed can be!

 

Yehovah designed the Law, and anything or anyone against the Law is against God.

 

 

The Law of God Is Not Abolished, and Will Not Be, at least Until This Earth Is Abolished

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 

The Law has not been abolished. (See if your translation’s Ephesians 2:15 rendering directly contradicts this text.)

 

Luke 16:16 The Law and the Prophets are until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the Law to fail.

 

 

One May Certainly Live by the Commandments of the Law

Galatians 3:12 …And the Law is not of [by] faith: but, the man that doeth [the commandments and ordinances] shall live in them.

 

It is not illegal to abide by the Torah (when it is possible). The commandments of the Law do not produce death, but disobedience does. Faith is outside of the Law, but not antagonistic to it. The Law is not by faith, but only by practice.

 

 

The Law Is a Transgression Limiter

Galatians 3:19 Why then is the Law? It was added because of transgressions, till The Seed should come to whom the promise was made…

 

The Torah was given to keep those under it from transgressing until Messiah comes (after which time those under the Law will keep it perfectly, having it written of their heart).

 

 

The Law Is a Preserver

Galatians 3:23 …before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

 

Before faith, the Israelis (the we) were preserved under the Torah until the time that faith would be revealed to them.

 

 

The Law Is a Truant Officer

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the Law was our truant officer unto Messiah, that we might be justified by faith.

 

The Law made sure that the Israelis who had not yet come to faith at least attended ‘school’ in which Messiah is presented, until the Israelis are justified by faith.

 

 

The Law Is for Good Usage

1 Timothy 1:5 Now, the goal of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the Law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm! But we know that the Law is good, if a man use it lawfully…

 

The Torah must be used lawfully to be beneficial. Some use it to promote their own aims, violating it. Using the Torah to promote church tithing is theft, since tithing was given only to Israel. No tithing command is given in the New Testament (which is why many stoop to misuse parts of the ‘Old Testament’).

 

 

The Law Is Constructed to Combat Everything and Everyone Contrary to Sound Doctrine

1 Timothy 1:9 …Knowing this, that the Law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless, disobedient, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers of fathers, murderers of mothers, manslayers, whoremongers, them that defile themselves with mankind, menstealers, liars, perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine…

 

The Torah was designed for Israelis devoid of Biblical faith. It is the foundation of all sound doctrine. When it is ignored (by the ‘New Testament Church’, for example), all evil in the name of ‘Christ’ occurs.

 

 

The Law Exposes the Knowledge and Potency of Sin

Romans 3:20b …by the Law is the knowledge of sin.

 

1 Corinthians 15:56b …the strength of sin is the Law…

 

Romans 7:13b …that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful…

 

Romans 4:15 …because, the Law worketh wrath: for where no Law is, there is no transgression.

 

Romans 5:13 For, until the Law, sin was in the world! But sin is not imputed where there is no law.

 

Romans 5:20 …Moreover, the Law entered, that the offense might abound.

 

Romans 7:7b …I had not known sin, but by the Law: for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, “Thou shalt not covet.”

 

Declaring and exposing sin and its consequences is the only valid way to show just how sinful sin really is. Many do not know what sin is. Some think certain things are sin when they are not, and others certain things are permissible when they are sin. Sin’s consequences will come whether or not the sinner realized he was sinning. The Torah provides the great service of portraying what is sin.

 

 

The Law Used To Be the Excuse for Enmity between Jews and Gentiles

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore, remember, that ye being in times past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands: that at that time, ye were (1) without Messiah, being (2) aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and (3) strangers from the covenants of promise, having (4) no hope, and (5) without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Messiah. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in His flesh the enmity [of] the Law of commandments in ordinances, in order to make in Himself of twain one new man: making peace. And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby; and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

 

Many use this passage to claim that the Law of God is abolished, when it shows that the enmity was abolished. The Torah showed Israel the good standard of Yehovah, and also invited the uncircumcised Gentile alien to come, (1) take on the God of Israel by faith, (2) take on the People of Israel as being his People, and (3) take on the Torah of Israel as his standard. Ruth and Rahab did. There was no good reason for the Torah to be a point of enmity. Many Jews saw themselves in a superior position with God because of the Torah, and the Gentiles as unclean and distant from God. Many Gentiles saw the Torah as barbaric and restrictive, and its practices as stunting learning and following many gods. The resulting enmity was due to evil and pride. Faith removes the enmity so that Godly Jews and non-Jews can be one Body.

 

 

Keeping the Commandments of the Law Is Vital

1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of god.

 

No commandment in the Torah was difficult for the Israeli to keep when the priesthood and the Tabernacle or the Temple were functioning. No human can keep the Sabbath today when these are not functioning, since the Sabbaths require certain sacrifices. (All Israeli Holy Days are Sabbaths.) No one has the right to ‘keep’ a Torah command that does not pertain to him. An Israeli female has no right to ‘keep’ a command given only for an Israeli male:

 

Exodus 23:17  Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

 

The Torah is profitable for all to read and learn:

 

2 Timothy 3: 14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, 15and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 17that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

But it is given to the Israelis to practice when they are able and willing.

 

 

The Commandment Is Holy, Righteous and Good, and is to Life, but Death to the Sinner. The Torah Is Holy.

Romans 7:10,12 …the commandment which is to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew [me]. Wherefore, the Law is Holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful!

 

Romans 7:16b . . . I consent unto the law that [it is] good.

 

The commandment of Yehovah is pro-life, but is death to the Israeli sinner because it condemns sin. It is holy, belonging to Yehovah. It is righteous, and exposes righteousness. It is good, serving the greatest benefit. Anyone diminishing its importance diminishes the importance and Goodness of the Owner.

 

 

The Law Is Spiritual

Romans 8:14 . . . for we know that the Law is spiritual . . .

 

The Torah’s greatest benefits are not found in its rules and regulations, but in the work that Truth does, teaching the ways and characteristics of Yehovah, and leading the concerned student to faith.

 

 

Those Who Walk via Yehovah’s Spirit Will Fulfill the Righteousness of the Law

Romans 8:4 …The Righteousness of the Law [is] fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

Some misunderstood this to mean that the Saint may ignore the Law of God. Can the Saint ignore Matthew and Romans, which are just as much part of the Bible? When Israelis walk after (in obedience to) the Spirit of God, don’t they fulfill the righteousness of the Torah? If a non-Jewish person obeys Yehovah, doesn’t he fulfill the righteousness of the Torah (literally, the Teaching)? Yehovah never guides anyone to disobey His own Law of righteousness. He also never guides anyone to violate the Torah by trying to be what he is not. If an Israeli from the tribe of Dan attempted to do the role of a priest from the tribe of Levi, what would have been the result? Every person must become aware of his rank and station in life in order to serve according to Law.

 

 

The Law Is of Righteousness When It Is with Faith

Romans 9:31 But Israel, which followed after the Law of Righteousness, hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness. Why? Because [they followed it] not by faith, but as it were, by the works of the Law.

 

Righteousness and Law are not mutually exclusive, but combine together for the purpose of teaching Godliness. Israel was called to teach all nations the standard of and faith in Yehovah. She will do this when she has the righteousness of faith and the righteousness of the Torah by faith.

 

 

The Law Leads All Who Believe to Messiah for Righteousness

Romans 10:4 For Messiah is the end [aim] of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth.

 

Some think that end refers to abolition. Would they think the same thing in Romans 14:9 (For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living)? The purpose and target of the Torah are to bring the Israelis who believe it to Messiah, from Whom to obtain righteousness. Who would want to abolish such a treasure?

 

 

The Love of the Brethren/Neighbour Fulfills the Law

Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another has fulfilled the Law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law.

 

1 John 5:2,3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And His commandments are not grievous [contrary to popular opinion].

 

2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after [the Father’s, v.4] commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it!

 

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

 

The Torah shows the standard of love toward God and man. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him (Exodus 23:5).

 

Some claim love for all people, or that Christians should love everyone. This is neither Scriptural nor possible. The perfect Law of Yehovah demanded that Israel exterminate all the Canaanites, including their babies. Did this show God’s Love for the Canaanites? If Yehovah hates (Psalm 5 & Psalm 11), does He love everyone? Is this the ‘love’ Saints must show to everyone in the world? Saints must show grace. The texts above have particular targets of love in mind. Love that is spread out over the world is too thin to matter. Love takes work, time and interaction. The Israelis were commanded to love each other. They were never commanded to love the races around them.

 

 

Love Is the Fulfilling of the Law

Romans 13:10b …therefore, love is the fulfilling of the Law…

 

It doesn’t say Love is the fulfillment of the Law. Hearkening is also commanded.

 

 

Sin Is Transgressing the Law

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law: for sin is the transgression of the Law!

 

James 2:9 …if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the Law as transgressors! For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one, is guilty of all!

 

Israelis who sin transgress the Torah. Apart from law, there is no transgression. Non-Jewish folks who violate their consciences by doing wrong transgress the Teaching Yehovah has given to them.

 

 

Those to Whom the Book of James Speaks Are To Be Doers of the Law, Not Its Judges

James 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, Brethren. He that speaketh evil of a brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the Law, and judgeth the Law: but if thou judge the Law, thou art not a doer of the Law, but a judge.

 

The letter of James was written to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora (James 1:1). If Jews have no right to judge the Torah, do Gentiles?

 

 

Justice, Grace and Faith Are the More Important Matters of the Law

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law: judgment, mercy and faith. These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

 

The Torah teaches justice, mercy (and grace), and faith. Who desires to abolish these?

 

 

Messiah Redeems from the Curse of the Law, Not the Law

Galatians 3:13a Messiah hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law…

 

The Torah carries a curse against violators to protect Israelis from the terrible consequences of sin. Messiah Yeshua came to redeem those under the Law from its curse, for all have sinned. Once redeemed, the Israelis will be able to live its example before all races, teaching all the character, justice, righteousness, grace and works of God.

 

 

The Law Is fulfilled in the Love of One’s neighbour

Galatians 5:16,14 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye desire. But if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the Law…for all the Law is fulfilled in one word, in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 

The Torah is intended to teach the Lawless to love his neighbour, not fulfil his lusts at his neighbour’s expense.

 

 

Perfection Is Not via the Levitical Priesthood

Hebrews 10:11 …and every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins…

 

Hebrews 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the Law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

 

Hebrews 9:9 [The first Tabernacle] was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience… until the time of reformation.

 

Hebrews 10:1 For the Law can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

 

Hebrews 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

 

 

The Priesthood Was Changed because of the Weak Link: People

Hebrews 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the Law. For He of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the Law of carnal commandment [dealing with the physical line of Levi], but after the power of an endless life. For He testifieth, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” For there is verily a withdrawal of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness of it. For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope; by the which we draw nigh unto God…

 

Hebrews 7:28 For the Law maketh men high priests who have imperfections; but the word of the oath, which was since the Law, [makes] the Son [the High Priest], Who is consecrated for evermore!

 

A priest was needed who was not stained with sin, who could bring the true sacrifice that would remove sin once for all. He had to be after the order of Melchizedek (my King of Righteousness). This necessitated a change in the priesthood. The Levitical priests, who could only act as types at best, could not do this work. This change in priesthood is called a change in the Law. Yet no commandment was changed in the Law. This Priest came from a different, non-Levitical line, for He sprang out of Judah. He fulfilled the type in the Torah, taking sin upon Himself.

 

 

The Law of God (of Moses) Is the First of Three Covenants, All About To Be Fulfilled in Israel and Judah

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, days come, says Yehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah–not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my Covenant, though I was an husband to them, saith Yehovah.

 

Hebrews 8:6 But now hath [Messiah Yeshua] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better Covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

 

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, He saith, Behold the days come, saith Yehovah, when I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah: not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my Covenant, though I was a husband to them, saith Yehovah. For this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days, saith Yehovah: I will put my Laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts. And I will be to them God, and they shall be to me a People: and they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, “Know Yehovah!” For all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

 

 

The New Covenant Which Is Yet to Come Will Include All the Law of God, But Will Include No Remembrance of Sins and Iniquities of the Israelis; and Will Have the Righteous Priesthood

Hebrews 8:12 …for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that He saith, “A new”, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

 

Hebrews 10:16 This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith Yehovah: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

 

The New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31 will newly write the first vanishing Covenant on the hearts of all Israelis. The Israelis will change, and their sins and iniquities will not be remembered.

 

 

‘The Word of God’ Refers to the Old Testament When Used by the New Testament Writers

Hebrews 4:12 For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard.

 

Hebrews 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the Word of Righteousness: for he is a baby.

 

Hebrews 6:5 …have tasted the good Word of God…

 

Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

 

Ephesians 6:17 And take… the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God…

 

1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the Word and Doctrine. For the Scripture saith, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.” And, “The laborer is worthy of his reward.”

 

2 Timothy 2:15 Study [Make it your practice] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

 

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yeshua. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of god may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

2 Timothy 4:2 [I charge thee,] preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine!

 

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

 

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves…

 

James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect [Psalm 19:7a] Law of liberty [Psalm 119:44-45a], and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

 

James 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty! For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth in the midst of judgment!

 

James 2:8 If ye fulfil the Royal Law according to the Scripture, “Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself,” ye do well…

 

2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, Beloved, I now write unto you; in which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets [including Moses], and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour…

 

Luke 11:28 Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it!

 

Luke 16:28 [concerning the rich man and Lazarus] “For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” Abraham saith unto him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And he said, “Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.” And he said unto him, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead!”

 

Luke 24:27 …and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Yeshua] expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

 

Luke 24:44 And [Yeshua] said unto them, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.” Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Messiah to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day…”

 

The Bible of the ‘New Testament’ authors was only the ‘Old Testament’, and the Torah was a vital part of their Bible. Accenting the ‘New Testament’ over and above the old is a grave error. The Old must be known before the New can be properly understood. The New Testament’s validity depends on the Old. If the Old has been even partially done away with, the New has no foundation.

 

 

The Torah Was Often used by the ‘New Testament’ Writers

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

 

1 Corinthians 7:39 The wife is bound by the Law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will: only, in the Lord.

 

1 Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.”

 

1 Corinthians 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the Law!

 

2 Corinthians 14:21 In the Law it is written, “With other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith Yehovah.”

 

1 Corinthians 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the Law, as under the Law, that I might gain them that are under the Law; to them that are without law, as without law, that I might gain them that are without Law.

 

Romans 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the Law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest His will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the Law…

 

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man…

 

Romans 7:25b So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God…

 

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of Yehovah blameless. [Beat that.]

 

 

Anyone Who Keeps the Righteousness of the Law Has Been Heart-Circumcised

Romans 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the Law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

 

Romans 2:28 For he in not a Jew [Confessor of Yehovah] who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter: whose praise is not of men but of God.

 

 

Jewish Saints Will Keep the Law of Moses and Have the Testimony of Messiah Yeshua During the Tribulation

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman [Israel], and went to make war with the Remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Messiah Yeshua.

 

Saints will take the Torah seriously!

 

Conclusion

The Torah was given to Israel to show the standard and character of God. It is the Word of God for doctrinal purposes, being Truth. It is only abolished if all the Word of God is abolished.

 

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The Kingdom

The Kingdom
(A fragment of the Topic)

 

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done upon the earth, as in the heavens.

To which kingdom does this refer?

 

God Owns the Kingdom

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Messiah: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Who are the above marked our? The Gentiles cannot say our God, because Yehovah is identified with the Israelis in the Bible.

 

Some Gentiles Inherit the Kingdom

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. 32And before Him shall be gathered all nations. And He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.  33And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Who are the brethren? The nations (races) have been gathered, but the brethren are being treated as a separate group. The sheep side of the nations inherit the kingdom prepared for them. Why are they called blessed and righteous, when they had no clue that they were doing Messiah good by doing the brethren good?

 

The Kingdom Will Be Restored to Israel

Acts 1:3 To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with [them], commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, [saith he], ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

The disciples looked for the kingdom being restored to Israel.

 

The Kingdom Will Last, Never Being Destroyed

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Daniel 4:3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

Daniel 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his Kingdom is from generation to generation.

Daniel 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his Kingdom which shall not be destroyed.

This kingdom will last from the time of Messiah’s coming onward.

 

The Saints Will Take the Kingdom

Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom, and possess the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Daniel 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom.

Daniel 7:27 And the Kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

The Saints and the people of the Saints will be given this kingdom. What people belongs to the Saints?

 

Yehovah Historically Owned the Kingdom of Israel

1 Chronicles 28:5  And of all my sons, for Yehovah hath given me many sons, He hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Yehovah over Israel.

 

Yehovah Will Own the Kingdom

Obadiah 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the Kingdom shall be Yehovah’s.

Yehovah will possess the kingdom.

 

The Daughter of Jerusalem Will Obtain the Kingdom

Micah 4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the Kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem will possess the kingdom.

 

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1 Corinthians 11: What Does the Bible Say about Head Coverings?

What Does the Bible Say about Head Coverings?

Introduction

I will give a literal rendering of the text. After this, I will have a series of questions and proposed answers for your consideration.

The Text

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me according as I am also of Messiah. 2Now I commend you, brethren, that ye have remembered me in all things. And ye keep the guardings according as I delivered to you. 3But I wish you to know that the Messiah is the head of every man and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Messiah. 4Every man praying or prophesying having, on the head, puts his Head to shame. 5But every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered puts her head to shame. For it is one and the same with having been shaved. 6For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if shameful to a woman to be shorn or to be shaven, she shall be covered. 7For man indeed does not owe to have the head covered, being the image and glory of God. But woman is the glory of a man. 8For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9For also man was not created on account of the woman, but woman on account of the man. 10The woman owes to have authority on the head because of this: on account of the angels/messengers. 11However, man is not apart from woman or woman apart from man in Yehovah. 12For as the woman is from the man, so is the man also via the woman, but all things are from God. 13Judge in yourselves. Is it comely for an uncovered woman to pray to God? 14Or doesn’t even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonour to him? 15But if a woman has long hair, it is glory to her! For the long hair is given to her instead of a covering. 16But if anyone thinks to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the assemblies of God.

Questions and Proposed Answers

(Numbers correspond to verse numbers.)

1. a) Was Paul claiming perfection? He wasn’t, but he was stating that he imitated Messiah. Messiah was obedient to Yehovah the Father, and He selflessly served others. He was willing to (and did) give his life to save the lives of others. Paul did the same. Yeshua always taught Truth. Paul did the same once he was in faith of Yeshua. Imitating Messiah in this manner would require perfection. Yet, Paul’s statement shows a measuring system: “Be imitators of me according as I am also of Messiah.” This means that if Paul were not to imitate Messiah, they should not imitate him.

1. b) How would they know if Paul was imitating Messiah or not? They would learn that by word of mouth and by direct observation of Paul. Those who hadn’t seen Messiah were able to obtain direct documents of His works and teachings; they were very quickly available after Messiah rose from the dead.

1. c) What does imitate mean? It means to do the same things in the same manners. They could not imitate him by acting as missionaries (unless they were called). Since Paul was not a missionary of Yeshua until He called Him to that task, they should imitate him in this also: not playing missionary (which is almost universally what is done in Christianity, today).

1. d) Did Paul something that was contrary to imitating Messiah? He once upbraided Peter in public in a way that he, himself, by the Spirit of Yehovah told others not to do.

Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

1 Timothy 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat as a father, the younger men as brethren.

1. b) Did Paul give this imitation command because those present couldn’t see Messiah, but they could see Paul (who imitated Messiah)? The Spirit of God through Paul gave this command. Thus, Yehovah recognized Paul as a proper imitator of Messiah. Thus, they could see Messiah in Paul and in his life as it was from that point on. Every person (regardless of faith) is the very image of God. Behaviours are what make distinctions. Imitating has to do with behaviours, not appearance.

2. a) What have they done that shows that they have remembered Paul in all things? They kept the guardings exactly as Paul delivered to them. (They also were ready to contribute to the poor Saints in Jerusalem as they had been apprised.) They very much remembered Paul in his various situations.

2. b) What guardings are these? They are the prophecies of the ‘Old Testament’ regarding Messiah and the commandments that Yehovah gave to non-Jewish Saints. These include events yet to come, since they had to be guarded. All the appointments of God are to be guarded (often commanded in the Tenach). They also guarded the commands that Yehovah gave to Israel—not as to do them (because they weren’t presumptuous), but because they are vital for understanding God, understanding righteousness, and understanding the plan of God and its working in the End Times. That is the basis of Hope. No one who cares about the Bible and God in the Bible can or will ignore Israel and the commands given to Israel.

2. c) What is the benefit of guarding these things (especially referring to Messiah’s visitations that He will do far into the future)? It is always important for one to be ready against the time of the Rapture or the person’s death. The benefit of guarding the very things that are normally ignored (and thus not guarded) in nearly all churches claiming Christianity is so that the individuals doing the guarding will not be fooled by false declarations of God’s intents and timings. A person who knows eschatology exactly right and who fears God will have little difficulty walking righteously, having no false expectation (of the supposed ‘soon return’ of Messiah, of disasters supposedly being ‘signs’ of God’s anger, of a death of a child showing that God is ‘displeased’, and therefore that He supposedly killed the child, etc.), and truly being consistent in doing right.

2. d) When did Paul deliver these things to guard? It was during a previous journey or in a previous letter:

1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2. e) Why did they have to keep the guardings exactly as Paul delivered to them? Was Paul infallible? He delivered the guardings of Messiah as a prophet. Thus, he spoke infallibly. These guardings had to stay accurate from generation to generation in order for what they taught to remain accurate.

3. a) In what way is Messiah the head of every man? Every man (that is, every male) is in the image of God (the woman also being in the image of God, but built later) and is not above Messiah in authority, but is subject to Him. He (the Messiah) is God. Thus, He is the boss. Most men do not know that Messiah is the boss—that He is sovereign and all-powerful, but they will in the Millennium. Messiah will be both King of kings and Lord of lords in the Millennium. His head status will be very evident as He rules with an iron rod.

Most readers of this text assume that it refers to Christian men. But the text does not demand any such thing. Yet, only folks who believe the text will take the head-status of Messiah seriously. The text will speak of Adam, and Adam never was a Believer of the Truth of God. (He resented Him.) The text giving the conversation between Yehovah and Adam after the fruit-eating incident shows this resentment. No text indicates that he turned from that.

Genesis 3:12 And the man said, “The woman whom Thou gave to be with me—she gave me of the tree. And I ate.”

3. b) Is a man always the head of a woman? This is referring to a marriage-type relationship. It is not referring to a brother with a sister or a son with a mother or men in general with women in general. The text is only referring to that relationship type formed by Adam and Eve.

3. c) What is the order of headship according to this verse? God is head of Messiah Who is head of every man who is head of a woman.

3. d) What does a woman mean? It is referring to the marriage relationship. The term woman is the same as wife; the Hebrew word for wife is practically never used. It is Biblically right to say, “She is my woman,” and for her to reply, “He is my man.”

3. e) Why is a man the head of a woman? She was made from him to be a helper. He wasn’t made for her. But there is a second part to this. She was not responsible for the fall due to sin, but he was. She was in transgression having been deceived; he was not deceived. His actions were intentional and thought out. Therefore, part of Yehovah’s rehabilitation of males is to set them as head and to bring them to responsibility to lead and guide their families (of which they are the husband) to do right before God, reversing the sin that a male brought into the world.

4. a) What does “Every man praying or prophesying having, on the head” mean? We searched the text to find any place that mentioned a head covering like a scarf, a hat, or a turban. We found no direct reference. Translators assumed that the text referred to some object like that as the covering, but what we found was in verse 14: long hair. If the text is self-contained and doesn’t have a reference to some other text, all the information needed to understand that text will be right there.

If the above is true, then the text would be implying, ‘Every man praying or prophesying having [long hair] on the head…’ This is not contrary to the culture that Yehovah taught Israel, since all Nazarites grew their hair, and some were assigned to be Nazarites from birth.

Since verse 16 denies that this instruction to Corinth is also the custom of the Israelis and the assemblies/congregations of God (that is, those groups consisting of Saints), I understood that this is speaking of the Corinthian culture. That culture must have looked badly on men with long woman-like hair, and it must also have looked badly on women wearing their hair cut short (shorn) like men or shaved like men who have all their hair removed from the scalp.

4. b) If the above is true, should Godly women maintain long hair if possible, and should Godly men keep their hair short? This is an issue of culture, and it is not an issue of the Word of God. Making one’s culture into an extension of the Word of God shows contempt for the Word of God.

On the other hand, taking pieces of the Word of God and making them into a culture is also treating the Word of God with contempt.

Yet, many brought up in these traditions are unaware of the nature of the founder who misused the Bible to produce a dress code. Those who are brought up in ignorance are not showing contempt, but are following a new cultural tradition from their parents. There is nothing wrong with a new cultural tradition even if it includes women wearing dumpy clothes and all having curls over their foreheads with their hair color being mandatory green as long as they don’t misuse the Bible to prove that Godly women must dress and color their hair this way. Such arrogant exclusivity has never been the way of gracious, Godly men or women. Instead, they serve others to save lives.

In some cultures, long hair is dangerous. Having long hair, then putting it up is akin to cutting one’s hair, though one can let it down. The only case where the Bible specifies long hair of which I am aware is in the case of the Nazarite vow for life.

Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb.

4. c) What is shameful about a man praying or prophesying with something on his head? If this is speaking of his having long hair as verse 14 addresses, it is dishonourable in the Corinthian culture. I propose that this culture came with a history of warriors. A warrior with long hair has a major disadvantage: a handle for an enemy to grab. Such cultures saw long-haired men as effeminate—or at least not useful in battle. If that is in the psyche of the culture, a person who is out of the norm in this way will be viewed as not honourable in the culture, and therefore has no business praying or prophesying in the assembly. (Imagine in today’s conservative churches how a cross-dressing preacher would seem.) There is no absolute standard regarding hair length and honour in the Bible’s culture that Yehovah gave to Israel.

4. d) Why do Orthodox Jewish men of today cover their heads when praying in the synagogues? They (or their ancestors) determined to do and be the opposite of the ‘Christians’ who identified Jesus (or Yeshua) as the Messiah. Thus, if the ‘New Testament’ commanded a male to pray with his head uncovered, the orthodox leaders of centuries ago commanded followers of Judaism to pray with their heads covered. They apparently also thought this text referring to head coverings, when it appears to only deal with hair.

5. a) Why would every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered put anything or anyone to shame? A woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered is as if she is a congregational leader, and her husband as a follower of her, a subordinate. If she prays or prophesies with her head covered, however, she shows respect to her husband in this ancient culture. Thus, the text shows that she puts her head (her husband) to shame by that behaviour. She is showing that she isn’t under the authority of a husband if her head is shorn or shaved. (This text does not speak of a single woman at all.)

5. b) Why is her praying with her head uncovered compared with her being shaved? In some cultures, if her head is shaved, she is bemoaning the loss of her parents, and she is declaring a disassociation from her parents who may have died or been killed. If she is disassociated, she is not married. Thus, both cases declare singlehood—that she is not in a marriage situation or under a father. She is under no man. A woman shaved shows her humiliation. She has been greatly humiliated, and therefore cuts off her glory—her hair.

Her head being uncovered gives her the look of a man and the station of a man in the assembly, as if she were a man.

The Teaching of Yehovah (Torah) is very strong regarding a commandment against cross-dressing. No man is to dress like a woman, and no woman is to dress like a man. That is a death-penalty offense. This was not a command given to the Gentiles, but to Israel. These folks in Corinth also have a propriety regarding dressing. A woman who takes on the hair style of a man is shaming her husband (assuming she is married, as this text does assume). A woman whose hair is in a butch format in this culture is shaming her husband. Praying or prophesying to God while shaming her husband is a flagrant violation.

6. a) Why should a woman who is not covered be shorn? (This is referring to a married woman who will be praying or prophesying.) Shearing is like what one does to a sheep, not a stylish haircut. It would be an insult to the woman because she has insulted her husband and the culture by refusing to have her head covered with hair (or something) while praying or prophesying in the assembly. In Corinth, being sheared like a sheep or having her head shaved with a razor was shaming the woman. If she will be beneficial to the assembly by prayer or prophecy, she must not be in violation of the culture and of her husband.

6. b) If the woman is married, why would she shave her hair? She wouldn’t; that makes no sense. But if she has the audacity to come into this group in this culture without her head covered by her hair or some object, she deserves to have her head shorn bald; for she is showing contempt for her husband, and thus for Messiah who is above her husband.

This text is not addressing a woman who is married and isn’t part of this assembly, being a stranger to the faith.

6. c) Could a shaved married woman pray or prophesy in this assembly? She would first have to cover her head. (This text doesn’t deal with an unmarried woman.) This text only refers to a woman who is praying or prophesying in the assembly; it has nothing to say if the woman is just in attendance.

6. d)  If the woman has cancer, can she pray or prophesy? She would just cover her head. That is all the text is declaring.

7. a) Why does man not need to have the head covered according to this text? He is the image and glory of God.

He does not owe this, but rather he owes to uncover his head if he is wearing a head covering when he comes into the assembly as a mark of the respect of rank before Yeshua in this culture. The issue, here, is hair, not head coverings. I don’t see where coverings like hats or scarfs are directly mentioned anywhere in this text. Making them part of the text is a presumptive error unless proof can be provided.

7. b) Why isn’t the woman also the image and glory of God? She is the glory (importance) of the man. She makes his importance. It is not appropriate to assume that a woman isn’t in the image of God or that she isn’t the glory of God, but rather that she is the glory (not the image) of the man (referring to the husband). She is still in the image of God just as much as the man is, and sometimes more! The emphasis is on glory, on importance. She makes the importance of her husband (since glory in Hebrew is importance). In the same manner, the man is the importance of the Messiah since Messiah is the man’s head. Everyone under the rank and authority of another becomes the importance of the one under whom that person serves.

7. c) What does image mean in this text? It is the sum of the characteristics that produce a resemblance. This is physical in nature as well as psychological and emotional.

7. d) What is glory? It is importance. It can be brightness if a different Hebrew word is used, but normally refers to importance.

7. e) In what respects is a man the glory/importance of God? The higher-ranking person’s reputation is always set by those under that person. Whatever the underlings do, the reputation of the head is either enhanced or is degraded. The willingness to selflessly serve greatly enhances the clout of the leader. Thus, humans are the ones who give importance to God or who demonstrate evil things about God by what they do.

7. f) How is woman the glory of a man? She shows and is his importance. Her abilities and wisdom will only tend to reflect well on him. If she is a tramp, she will greatly lower his importance. His importance can be greatly diminished without her. If she is insipid, obnoxious, rude, annoying, bitchy, or of some other irritable type, she tends to lower his importance because she diminishes his glory.

Proverbs 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

She has greatly increased his importance.

7. g) What if a man desires his woman to do wrong, should she do that, being his importance? No! It is for that very reason that she must refuse. She makes his reputation, and therefore has no business doing wrong if she will prove to be his importance.

7. h) Why is his importance based on a woman? What if a man has no woman? The text states that this is the case, and it is only speaking of a married man and woman. It has nothing to do with singles. She was built to help him in life. She therefore had to be endowed with much greater abilities than he has in areas that he needed help in order to be an excellent helper. Her abilities and her work on his behalf will therefore be the greater part of his reputation and importance.

There is no correlation between being a help and being the importance. These are two different things. While a woman is the importance of a man and a help to that man, no man is a helper of God. He needs no help. But the Bible does state that a man is the importance of God. This text speaks also of being the head. It doesn’t state that God (as in Yehovah the Father) is the head of man, but instead that Messiah is the head of man with God being the head of Messiah. These three must be kept separate. But all three enter into Yehovah’s design. The man is the head of the woman while the woman is the importance and the helper of the man. This all refers to responsibilities and to God-given abilities.

If a man has no woman, he can still achieve much importance in life.

7. i) What is the timing of this? Is it always true? Man is always in the image of God. He thus must always be the glory (importance) of God. Thus, the timing is always.

7. j) Why does Yehovah permit a man to be His importance? It has everything to do with being made in His image. A human is a physical, limited representation of Yehovah. Since a human sees other humans, that human is seeing how important Yehovah is by seeing His limited representation. If a human is as capable as most are, how much more is Yehovah capable? That is why humans are held so responsible. They bear the image of Yehovah.

7. k) If one looks at a violent unbeliever who is also a limited representation of Yehovah, does this represent an evil side of Yehovah? It doesn’t since Yehovah has no evil side. Yehovah uses violence in justice. That doer of evil also has capabilities and responsibilities. That person isn’t being responsible to the image of Yehovah that has been fashioned onto him or her. That is why such a person will suffer great damnation. This person is smearing the image of God with violence contrary to justice.

7. l) Why does a doer of evil behave this way instead of living in accordance with the image of Yehovah that has been formed into him or her? The three reasons for sin are given:

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

This person is pursuing one or more of the above three: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and/or the pride of life. Anyone who follows these passions will not be doing what is right.

7. m) If a person will be among the damned, how can that person be the importance of God? What shows this importance is Yeshua’s always abiding with everyone found in the Lake of Fire and Sulfur forever, everlastingly providing the heat of His wrath. This could not be the case if man were not His importance. The one major torment of the Lake of Fire and Sulfur is Yehovah’s presence being always there.

Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God that is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever. And they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.

7. n) What does “woman is the glory of a man” indicate? She is the importance of a man! That means that a man who has a woman has importance according to her character. If she is a good woman, the man will have much importance even if his character is lacking. If she is an evil woman, his importance will be compromised even if his character is good. A woman can make or ruin a man’s reputation just as a man can make or ruin Messiah’s reputation through sin.

Read the following text carefully, noting the section at the end:

2 Samuel 12:1 And Yehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him. And he said unto him, “There were two men in one city—the one rich and the other poor. 2The rich had exceeding many flocks and herds, 3and the poor had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought and nourished up. And it grew up together with him and with his children. It did eat of his own food and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4And there came a traveller unto the rich man. And he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man’s lamb! And he dressed it for the man that was come to him.” 5And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man! And he said to Nathan, “Yehovah lives! The man who did this shall surely die! 6And he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity!” 7And Nathan said to David, “Thou art the man! Thus says Yehovah God of Israel, ‘I anointed thee king over Israel! And I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul! 8And I gave thee thy master’s house and thy master’s women into thy bosom! And I gave thee the House of Israel and of Judah! And, if too little, I would have also given unto thee such and such things. 9Why hast thou despised the commandment of Yehovah to do bad in His sight? Thou hast murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword and hast taken his woman thy woman! And thou hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon! 10And now the sword shall never depart from thy house because thou hast despised me and hast taken the woman of Uriah the Hittite to be thy woman!’ 11Thus says Yehovah, ‘Behold, I will raise up bad against thee out of thine own house! And I will take thy women before thine eyes, and give unto thy neighbour! And he shall lie with thy women in the sight of this sun. 12For thou secretly did, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun!’” 13And David said unto Nathan, “I have sinned against Yehovah.” And Nathan said unto David, “Yehovah also has put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die. 14And because thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Yehovah to blaspheme by this deed, the child also born unto thee shall surely die.”

If one made in the image of God sins, that person gives others occasion to blaspheme—that is, greatly insult the God in whose image that person is made.

7. o) The last statement is not equivalent to the one before it, since it leaves out image. Why doesn’t the text declare this: “But woman is the image and glory of a man”? She was taken from the man. Thus, she is not his image, but is derived from him with separate parts from him being fashioned into her. An image is a faint representation. She is no faint representation of a man; she is part of the line of Adam. She is every bit as much the image of God as the man. Thus, she is the image of God while being the glory of a man.

7. n) Does the above mean that she is not the importance of God? She is vital to all pictures of God (the image), but her importance makes the man. If she has no man (that is, if she is not part of any man), she is directly responsible to Yehovah and is thus His importance. But if she is part with a man, she is doubly responsible: to Yehovah and to the man. She must do right before Yehovah, and she is the importance of that man. (That is why mistreating/abusing a woman is a crime against Yehovah; she was made to benefit a man, and a man who abuses is showing direct contempt for the gift that Yehovah gave.)

7. o) Does this mean that a man has no importance without a woman? No. He is directly responsible to Messiah, and therefore a portion of his importance is in that representation of Messiah in the man’s own body. He is still the importance and representation of Messiah in limited form. Yet, how many single men still have women in their lives who are their importance? One does not have to be married to be glorified by the work of a woman. This starts early. A mother is the glory of her son.

The man who has no woman is still directly responsible to Messiah, and a man who has a woman is still directly responsible to Messiah. That is his given role on this earth.

8. a) What does “man is not of woman, but woman of man” mean? Man did not come from woman; this is not referring to birth. Woman came from man because Yehovah took her from him and built her to be a help to him in Genesis concerning Adam.

8. b) If woman was taken from man, who is greater in importance? She is the importance of the man! Thus, it would appear that she is more important. Yet that is impossible. She is not more important, but she is the importance of the man! His importance is invested in her! Thus, he is a fool who sees himself as more important than his own importance (the woman)!

9. a) If the woman was created on account of the man, what part of her was created? Her soul was not the same; she had a separate personality. She did not think like Adam. She did not do in life what Adam did as an occupation. Her thoughts were diverse from his and her justice and humility were quite different. She was not a mirror of him. She looked for the Messiah. Adam was bitter against Yehovah.

The part of her that was created was her soul. Her body was built from Adam’s body.

9. b) Again, why was woman created? She was created because Adam was alone, and that was not good, and he needed a helper. Thus, Yehovah designed a being who could do well and help. She was efficient; he was deficient. She completed.

10. a) What does the woman owe? She owes to have authority on the head.

10. b) What does that mean? She has a debt to have and maintain authority on the head.

If we recognize this head to be her husband, it means one thing. If this head is her own head, it means another.

First, she already has authority over her own head; anyone who doesn’t has lost her head! That is insane.

If the text is referring to her owing to have authority by having something on her head, that makes no sense. Whatever is on her head doesn’t show that she has authority.

The only one left is that she owes to have authority on the husband. This makes sense, because she was built to help him. She cannot help him if she has no authority on him. She doesn’t have authority above him, since that would make her his supervisor, but she has authority with him such that she is able to help him when he is unable to help himself. (This occurred numerous times in the Bible.) A man who doesn’t hearken to his helper when she is attempting to help him is a fool, like Nabal in the Bible. Rebecca (Rivka, Rebekah) saved Isaac’s life; she was a helper. She had authority on her head—that is, on her husband, and she used it.

10. c) Why must she fulfill the debt of having authority on the head, her husband? The text states, “on account of the angels/messengers.” The messengers are themselves under authority, and they deliver messages to humans—often to women. The commands to women involve the women’s homes. They therefore must be able to show their husbands what must be done as commanded through the messengers. If they didn’t have authority on their husbands, their husbands could countermand what Yehovah is commanding the women to do. This line of authority is passed down from Yehovah the Father to Yeshua to the man, and finally to the woman. Yehovah sometimes gives commands directly to a woman, however, and her husband is involved in obedience to that command.

Even Joseph and Daniel gave information and instructions to those far higher in rank than they were to save lives.

10. d) What does this verse tell the man? This verse tells the man that the woman owes the debt of having authority on him, and he had better listen, since she will occasionally be speaking the Word of God. When messengers came to women in the Bible, husbands who hearkened to their women were both wise and alive. One who didn’t was very soon dead (I refer to Nabal in 1 Samuel 25).

10. f) What is the timing of the fulfillment of these verses? The situation of these verses is in a particular culture (in Corinth) that views hair, being shorn, and being shaved in a particular way. The timing will be for any time (though this text may speak of a particular End Times event; we will have to discover that, if that is the case).

11. a) What does this verse mean? They are derived from each other. See the next verse. No woman exists without a man first existing, and all men that exist after Adam were born from a woman.

11. b) How does this connect to verses above it? The verses above it dealt with authority and responsibility, especially in the assembly when praying or prophesying. The two, the man and his woman, are a team. They are not equal in the team in abilities or in rank, but they are absolutely equal in that they are both the image of God and are responsible to each other for the sake of the team. Their inequality has to do with their abilities. The woman is often much more able than the man. The man is directly responsible for himself and the woman. He also is the importance of Yeshua.

12. a) In what way is the woman from the man? She was taken from the man (Adam) and built into a woman.

12. b) In what way is the man via the woman? Every man (except Adam) is born from a woman. He comes into the world via a woman.

12. c) Are all things, including sin, from God? Sin is obviously not from God. All things that are created and all forms of life are from God. Every personality is created from God. Every living creature has a personality and individuality. Humans and angels are able to take good things and use them for bad. Even animals and small organisms can do this, because of the fall of man (because sin is in the world).

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.

13. a) Isn’t comeliness very subjective? Yes, it is. So are cultural traditions. This text is exploring a cultural tradition, and rank and authority as Yehovah views it. These two very different views are being combined to instruct those in Corinth and careful readers in any period of the world. One culture will see bald women as being a shame, while another may see it as good fashion. Since this culture in Corinth had views of shame and dishonour, the Spirit of God through Paul is using this culture to explain Truth to folks in Corinth. They did not see anything appropriate about uncovered women praying to God in an assembly. Violating a culture when that is not necessary is rude, and is not part of Godliness.

13. b) What exactly is an uncovered woman in this text? It is a woman whose head is not covered, especially with hair.

14. a) Does nature teach everyone that a man’s long hair dishonours the man? No. This is only the case for this and some other cultures. They observe nature and animal coverings as pictures of honour and dishonour, shame and glory. This is no universal Truth (as a future verse will prove).

14. b) Did nature teach the Israelis that long hair on a man dishonoured the man? No, it didn’t. Those who took the Nazarite vow had to grow their hair. Some were Nazarites for life; cutting their hair would have been a shame.

15. a) Is a woman’s long hair always glory to her? This is not part of many cultures today. Women often cut their hair, preferring to have shorter cuts. Again, this is a cultural issue.

15. b) Why, according to this text, was long hair given to a woman? It was given to her instead of a covering.

16. a) Why would a person even think to be contentious on this issue? A person would potentially be contentious for the following reasons:

  • If the person’s culture saw hair in a very different way, the person might fight for what is in that person’s culture
  • If the person misunderstands the text, the person might be contentious. This is true of some ‘Christian’ faiths today that do misunderstand this text.
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Why Folks Hate the Jews

Jews:

Why So Many Folks Hate the Jews

And

Who are the Jews in John?

Introduction

Why are the Jews hated? The Bible invests the entire plan of God in them, and the Bible holds them responsible for their being no peace on earth until they do right.

Yehovah has dispersed them among the races, warning that they will only be able to stay in any place for a short time, and then they must go elsewhere. Thus, the races see them as a scourge in their midst, as driven from other places, and transient, and as potential competition.

Common Ideas about the Jews

Many folks who hate the Jews don’t know why they hate them. They have been taught that the Jews are evil, and affect the world for self-centered interests that destroy countries and cultures. Those who have investment in Islam have a different for hating the Jews (if they hate them at all). There is no consensus regarding the Jews. There are always folks in all countries who don’t hate them, and would appreciate doing business with them.

A Quick History of the Jews

The Bible explains how the Jews came about. The God of the Bible produced this people specially using miracles and using non-Jewish groups to bring about the Jews. They came out of Egypt and from slavery with great wealth. They soon were embroiled with the Palestinians (Philistines). Their history is one of violence and of great peace. Their kingdom became very strong and very great, then very weak and finally gone. They were given a land in the most central and most important part of the planet: the Middle East, between three of the most active continents in the world. They were also given a Torah, a Teaching that was assigned specifically to them that had promises of good if they complied, and guarantees of the most terrible destructions to them if they didn’t comply. They were also given another guarantee: that they would continue to exist to the end of the planet, and that this land would be theirs once they did right according to the Torah (the first six books of the Bible).

This Torah was another reason for great jealousy, since there is no evidence that the God of the Bible gave a Covenant of this nature to any other group. The Jews were given the assignment and responsibility to carry, teach and live out the ‘oracles’ of God, those things that God gave to the world through prophets or directly.

Romans 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2Much every way! Chiefly, because the oracles of God were committed unto them.

The Talmud

The Jews developed their own set of teachings from rabbis called the Talmud. This compendium of opinions of the rabbis was viewed by large groups of Jews as being equal with the Scriptures in previous centuries. Jews who studied these writings became very good at law and at memorization. Thus, they excelled in scholarship and in medicine, in law and in politics, as well as in the arts. Their numbers were small compared to the surrounding races, but their influence and discoveries were proportionately very large. This also made for jealousy.

The Jews under Islam

The Jews used to prosper under Islam, and they did far better under Islam when Spain was occupied by the Sultans than they did at any other time for centuries. Islam treated the Jews very well, and they achieved high positions. This also made the Europeans very angry at the Jews and very jealous. When Islamic rulers were driven from Spain, the Jews who stayed behind were hated and were mistreated.

Restrictions on Jewish Professions

During previous centuries, Jews were not allowed to be in certain professions held by religious groups among the Gentiles, but they could lend money. Kings borrowed. Kings owed. Kings wanted to cancel their debts to the Jews; they found the easiest way was to accuse them and kill them, and drive them out. This practice occurred many times.

Jewish Integration

Jewish folks have had to stick together because of history and anti-Semitism. Thus, even when they integrate into societies, that integration doesn’t usually last. They become ousted after so much time. Thus, Jewish integration is only temporary, and again the Jews stand out when they are forced out.

Any group that appears different from other groups will be targeted. This is one reason.

Jewish Monetary Success

Another reason is that the Jews appear to be very monetarily successful, and to control the means of production and exchange. This doesn’t have to be true to appear to be true. Jewish folks reside all over the world, and Jews do tend to trade with Jews—but not exclusively. Yet, this isn’t what others see; they think that the Jews have connections and can escape from trouble in the markets by using these connections. Gentiles who feel that they don’t have the same connections resent Jews for having them (even if they don’t).

This idea of the International Jew goes into the area of patriotism. Jews are views as not having any true allegiance to any country, and will leave a country if that country falters. Thus, others who are invested in the country see the Jews as quick traitors if everything goes down. This is not the case, but again, truth isn’t the issue; perception is.

All this doesn’t really explain why the Jews are hated. It goes beyond this, and it goes beyond literature that has been around for centuries accusing the Jews of an international plot to strip the Gentiles of wealth.

It goes to the Bible.

Why Some of Western Civilizations Hate the Jews

The Jews are a minority. Their presence in cultures is usually very obvious. Some Jews mix, while other Jews remain detached from cultures. They tend to group among themselves, and they have traditions that don’t match the surrounding cultures. This alone tends to present a problem among many who value conforming to a ‘norm’.

Every culture tends to hold certain values, and also tends to not value other things. Jews themselves are not a consistent culture. Yet, they appear to be to most onlookers. There are the very Orthodox Jews with strange clothing and patterns of behavior, and there are liberal Jews who do what the surrounding Gentiles do. Yet, even the liberal Jews tend to be different, and have different connections. This presents the problem of jealousy.

Why Many of Middle Eastern Groups Hate the Jews: Holy Sites

Modern Islam has its focus on the holy sites, not on Islamic history. Thus, the Jews must be driven into the sea in order to redeem Jerusalem from ‘the Crusaders.’ Many in the Middle East see the Crusades as continuing to this day.

As long as any other group outside of Islam dominates over any Islamic holy site, followers of Islam are taught that the deity of Islam is angry because of the liberalism found among followers of Islam. Thus, such domination is a sign from ‘God’ to turn to fundamental Islam; then the deity will give success to throw infidels out of the holy cities.

Modern Christian Churches

Modern Christian churches of every variety have the same difficulty when viewing the Jews. There is this recognition of the importance of Israel and the Jews, and there is the same jealousy. Some churches are for Israel; some will not discuss Israel. Some separate ‘Israel’ from ‘Jews’, stating that Israel is good, the Jews are accursed. Some hate the Jews and Israel, and desire Israel’s annihilation. All these groups claim to be fervent followers of Christianity.

Messianic Jews

There is another set of groups called Messianic Jews. They consist of mainly Jewish persons who claim to believe in Jesus or Yeshua as the Messiah. They do the same practices found among Christian groups by replacing Biblical Israel with themselves as if they are the focus of the promises of God in the Bible, and the apple of God’s eye. They usually are very fervent for Israel and for the Jews, yet they theologically distance themselves from the Jews by celebrating their own supposed salvations even while Israel is always in jeopardy. They also twist Scriptures to show themselves as important.

The Nazis

The Nazis viewed themselves as a continuance of Arians, and the Arians are supposedly from Atlantis. Arianism necessarily hates the Jews and must destroy them. All this has to do with the occult and the view that ‘God is with us’ (placed on the belts of the Nazi SS troupers). If ‘God is with us,’ God can’t be with them.

Jew-Hating Demons

Humans are not the only readers and hearers of the Bible, and they are not the only ones who misread it. The Bible speaks of demons, angels who rebelled. They, according to the Bible, also will be locked up and tormented once the Jews are righteous. If the Jews are expunged from the earth, the demons won’t be. Thus, a good portion of the hatred of Jews is supernatural. (The Jews can only be expunged from the earth if the Bible isn’t true.)

Centrality of the Jews in the Bible

Many groups in this world see the Bible as the central book of their faiths. They read about the Jews in the Bible if they read the Bible at all. (Few read the Bible.) The Bible speaks of the Jews in very negative terms in some texts. It also speaks of the Jews in very positive terms in other texts. Both present a problem to readers. If the Jews are as bad as the Bible portrays them, they are a scourge. Some therefore believe that they do God a favor by diminishing the Jews in society and even by getting rid of them. If the Jews are as important as the Bible portrays them, some readers are very jealous; they desire to be the center of God’s plan, and the Jews are in the way. Therefore, they cling to a theology that replaces the Jews with themselves (i.e., The Church). The problem is that the Jews are still around. Their being around tends to ruin the replacement theology. Thus, they speak out against the Jews to convince themselves and others that God is truly through with them, and has chosen the faithful and Godly Gentiles in their groups to replace the Jews.

The Bible Follows the Jews

Wherever the Jews go, regardless of how liberal the Jews are, the Bible goes with them—the very book that both accuses them and shows how important they are in the plan of the God of the Bible. While the Jews do not tend to carry the ‘New Testament’ with them, but only the ‘Old Testament’ (the Tenach), the ‘New Testament’ follows them wherever they go. This volume seems even more accusatory when read by those who have not known the ‘Old Testament’. Anti-Semitism is propagated more from the book of John in the ‘New Testament’ than from any other source because it refers to ‘the Jews’ as a violent and evil group and as killers of Christ. A reader who knows the ‘Old Testament’ and who reads the book of John carefully can see that Jesus was dealing with the Jews all of the time, and that the group called ‘the Jews’ in John (and in other books) must be a subgroup. Such careful readers are rare.

The ‘New Testament’

The ‘New Testament’ is the strongest in confirming the centrality of the Jews in the plan of God, in the resurrection of the dead, and in the return of Jesus (Yeshua) to reign. It states that He will return to the Jews and reign among them and over the world.

The Middle Eastern Groups are predominantly Moslem in faith or in perspective. Islam has several holy places, the second most holy place being Jerusalem. In Islamic teaching, any holy place like that must be controlled by Islamic followers. If it isn’t, it is because the deity of Islam is angry with the Islamic peoples for being too liberal. Thus, they must do everything in life or death to reclaim those holy sites. Since the Jews are occupying Jerusalem, the Jews must be hated and expunged in order to bring the faithful back to Islam, and all Islamic countries must turn from liberalism and westernism.

Peace on Earth

Since the Bible places peace of earth with the Jews such that there will be no lasting peace until the Jews are entirely righteous, this also makes for jealousy. The Jews appear so important in the Bible, that it is as if God views them much higher than the other races. (While this isn’t the case, misreading the Bible easily derives this conclusion.)

A Misunderstanding about the Jews in the Book of John

Many readers misunderstand the term Jews in the New Testament. They think that the term always refers to all the Jewish folks when it does not. Consider the following texts with me. I will explain things about each text:

John 2:13 And the Jews’ Passover was at hand.

This sounds general. Yet, who else had a Passover? If it were for all the Israelis, why mention it since the entire scene is about the Israelis/Jews?

John 2:18 Then the Jews answered and said unto Him, “What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?”

Did all the Jews answer Him, or did a group answer Him?

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

Was he a ruler over all the Jews (like Herod), or was he a ruler of a group of Jews?

John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

Weren’t John’s disciples Jewish? Were they Latvian or Chinese? Were they Hungarian or Australian?

John 5:16 And therefore the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

Did all the Jews want to kill Him? Most appreciated what He did and said, even if they didn’t understand what He said.

John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

I learned from these texts that ‘the Jews’ were a sect, a small group of the entire Jewish population. Thus, I began calling them by their Hebrew name: the Yehudeem to distinguish them from the rest of the Israelis/Jews in these texts.

The following are what I discerned by carefully reading Matthew through John, and other places in the ‘New Testament.’ You may certainly challenge them, but at least consider them.

The Yehudeem:

  • Were a sect of the general Jewish population
  • Were very strict, hoping that the God of Israel would give Israel freedom from occupying pagans (like the Romans) if the Israelis would strictly adhere to the Torah (the first five books of the Bible)
  • Made rules to help keep the Israelis within the Torah, but by doing so violated the Torah (by adding to it)
  • Felt their rules to be from God
  • Consisted of two types of persons: one type that greatly desired to do right according to the Tenach (the entire Old Testament), and another type that desired to have power in the Jewish communities, not caring about personally doing right, but being the ‘morality police’ over others
  • Had the power to excommunicate other Israelis from the synagogues, thus making it impossible for them to do business with other persons under the influence of the Yehudeem within Israel; this power could be used for benefit to Israel or for personal vengeance
  • Had little or no sway over the Israelis who were not part of the Yehudeem (and who didn’t care about excommunication)
  • Were of two types: one type was very protective of their own positions, and didn’t like outsiders who didn’t come up through the ranks having influences over their followers; the other type wasn’t protective of anything but the Truth, and was glad to hear of anyone who worked to bring righteousness to Israel
  • Were from any of the twelve tribes (or were proselytes of the Gentiles who turned to Judaism), and therefore were not strictly of the tribe of Judah
  • Could also be Pharisees, another group that consisted of some who most definitely believed in real righteousness in Israel and in personal righteousness, and worked for that, and of some who sought power over others, wanting to ‘boss folks around’ and to be viewed well by those in high positions in the religious community
  •  Consisted of a very few who definitely wanted to kill Yeshua and of others who very much delighted in His teachings, recognizing Him to be one truly sent directly from God and who had the words of life. The Yehudeem also consisted of some in lower-ranking positions who didn’t know what to believe regarding Yeshua, and who were torn.

The above descriptions of the Yehudeem may seem very ‘black and white’ in the descriptions, but there were folks who were in between, also, as I mentioned in the last bullet.

Modern Christianity does not teach that the Yehudeem (‘the Jews’) formed a small sect of the Israelis. Instead, many are taught to read the book of John as the first book of the Bible they will ever read. They will see many bad things regarding ‘the Jews,’ and will either reaffirm their feelings against the Jews or will form new feelings of them being enemies as if it refers to all Jews.

If they were to start with Genesis, they would probably figure some things out (if they cared for Truth). They would learn that the Jews are very central to Yehovah’s plan for all the ages, etc. Starting in John, however, will give ignorant readers a terrible impression of the Jews. Even if they figure out that ‘the Jews’ are a sect, they may still think that this sect was all bad. That was not the case. There were a few powerful ‘bad apples.’ There were some powerful good guys. There were followers of both types who were very loyal to their leaders, right or wrong. This is the same with groups today.

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Matthew 1 Literally Rendered

Matthew 1 Literally Rendered

(See Accompanying Matthew 1 Questions and Proposed Answers on this site.)

 

1Scroll of the generation of Yeshua, anointed son of David, son of Avraham. 2Avraham childed Isaac, and Isaac childed Jacob. And Jacob childed Judah and his brethren. 3And Judah childed Pharez and Zerah of Tamar. And Pharez childed Hezron. And Hezron childed Ram. 4And Ram childed Aminadav. And Aminadab childed Nahshon. And Nahshon childed Salmon. 5And Salmon childed Boaz of Rakhav. And Boaz childed Obed of Ruth. And Obed childed Jesse. 6And Jesse childed David the king. And David the king childed Solomon of her of Uriah. 7And Solomon childed Rehoboam. And Rehoboam childed Abijah. And Abijah childed Asa. 8And Asa childed Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat childed Jehoram. And Jehoram childed Uzziah. 9And Uzziah childed Jotham. And Jotham childed Akhaz. And Akhaz childed Hezekiah. 10And Hezekiah childed Manasseh. And Manasseh childed Amon. And Amon childed Josiah. 11And Josiah childed Jeconiah/Jehoiachin and his brethren about the time they were carried away to Babylon. 12And after the carrying away of Babylon Jeconiah/Jehoiachin childed Shealtiel. And Shealtiel childed Zerubbabel. 13And Zerubbabel childed Abihud. And Abihud childed Eliakim. And Eliakim childed Hazor. 14 And Hazor childed Zadok. And Zadok childed Joiakim/Jehoiakim. And Joiakim/Jehoiakim childed Elihud.15And Elihud childed Eleazar. And Eleazar childed Mattan. And Mattan childed Jacob. 16And Jacob childed Joseph the husband of Miriam of whom was born Yeshua who is called Messiah. 17So all the generations from Avraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the carrying away of Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the carrying away of Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

 

18Now the birth of the Anointed Salvation was thus. For His mother Miriam, having been betrothed to Joseph, was found to be with child from the Spirit of the Holy-[One] before they came together. 19But Joseph her husband secretly purposed to put her away, being righteous and not willing to expose her publicly. 20And when he had pondered these things, behold an angel of Yehovah appeared to him in a dream saying, “Yoseph ben David! Fear not to take to Miriam thy wife! For what is in her is holy, is begotten of the Spirit! 21And she shall bring forth a son. And thou shalt call His Name Salvation. For He shall save His people from their sins!” 22Now this all came to pass that what was spoken by Yehovah through the prophet will be fulfilled, saying, 23 “Behold the pregnant virgin! And she shall child a son. And they shall call His Name Immanuel,” which being interpreted is God-With-Us. 24And having been aroused from sleep, Joseph did as the angel of Yehovah had ordered him and took his wife. 25And he knew her not until she brought forth her son—the firstborn. And he called His Name Salvation [Yeshua].

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Matthew 1 Questions and Proposed Answers

Matthew 1

Questions and Proposed Answers

(See Accompanying Matthew 1 Literally Rendered on this site.)

Note: This document has not been finely edited. It is written during studies. Please expect to find errors in spelling, words missing, etc. If you use the document and desire to participate in editing it, please do so. I will need the number-letter address along with a partical quote of the error, and what you know or think it should say. Please send it to james842@eeweems.com.

1. a) Why is all of Matthew called the “Scroll of the generation of Messiah Yeshua…”? The entire scroll spoke of the historic generation in which Yeshua lived, but also spoke of the future generation that will believe on Him.

1. b) How long is a generation? The Bible doesn’t give an exact length to a generation. One generation lasted 40 years: that generation that came out of Egyptian bondage only to be killed off in the wilderness due to unbelief, disobedience and blatant rebellion against Yehovah’s commands. Another generation mentioned in the Bible lasts 100 years:

Genesis 15:13 And He said unto Avram, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs, and shall serve them. And they shall afflict them four hundred years. 14And I will also judge that nation whom they shall serve. And shall they come out afterward with great substance. 15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace. Thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16But they shall come hither again in the fourth generation. For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

This text associates 400 years with a fourth generation, thus making an average of 100 years per generation.

1. c) What is the advantage of a scroll over a book? A scroll in which a page has been removed will show the evidence by the scroll falling into two, whereas a book can have a page torn out without the reader knowing it is missing for a long time. Even computers scroll through their pages, showing continuity. Thus, the most modern of equipment uses scroll descriptions and design.

1. d) What does Yeshua mean? This name means Salvation.

1. e) What does anointed mean? It means selected for a particular assignment, including any empowerment needed to carry out that assignment (often accompanied by the pouring of olive oil over a person’s head, signifying the stopping of bugs and other things that would inhibit a person, like a sheep, from concentrating on the appointed task). Only God or a prophet has the power to anoint.

1. f) For what purpose was Yeshua an anointed son of David? He was anointed to fulfill the Scriptures. He was anointed to:

  • Be the sacrifice for sin
  • Live according to the Teaching of Yehovah in a perfect manner
  • Bring the announcement of the Kingdom of God/Heaven to the Israelis
  • To be the Salvation of His people Israel
  • To instruct regarding the End Times
  • To bring every aspect of the Word of God to them that He brought

It is imperative that a reader know that Messiah had to be of specifically David’s lineage because of the promise Yehovah made.

1. g) When was Yeshua anointed?

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And the same man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Yehovah’s Messiah.

Yeshua was already the Messiah, therefore anointed, at eight days old. Thus, His anointing must precede His birth.

1. h) Why did He have to be the son of David? This was the proper lineage for the Messiah. He could not be of the tribe of Levi. The Levites will never produce the Messiah. Messiah is from a different priestly line (that of Melchizedek). David’s lineage is the kingly lineage, and thus it makes sense for King Messiah to be born in that lineage.

1. i) What is the significance of His being a son of Abraham? The promises went through Avraham. One of those promises was specifically to the seed, a reference to the Messiah (Galatians 3:16).

1. j) Define David: This word means lover, but is a different root from the normal word for love. It is a term that shows a particular type of affection that is far more sexual in its implications automatically than the other word ahavah that is used for love. Thus, the term dodi (directly related to David) is used in Song of Solomon over and over again: my lover.

1. k) What does Avraham mean? It means father of a crowd.

2. a) Verse 2 has a very curious detail: “Jacob childed Judah and his brethren.” Judah was not the firstborn. Why mention Judah instead of Reuben the firstborn? Verse 3 gives the answer, since this lineage will not be concerned with any other son of Jacob except Judah. This is the lineage through Judah.

2. b) What does Isaac mean? It means he will laugh.

2. c) What does Jacob mean? It means he will heel(pull). It also implies coming afterward, but not in time as much as in position. The word for heel in Hebrew is also the word showing the furthest back position. Thus, it is used as an adverb to describe something occurring afterward.

2. d) What does Judah mean? It means he confessed Yehovah.

3. a) What does Pharez mean? It means he breached.

3. b) What does Zerah mean? It means Sunrise.

3. c) What does Tamar mean? It means palm tree.

3. d) What does Hezron mean? It means either courtyard or trumpet-blast.

3. e) What does Ram mean? It means elevated.

4. a) What does Aminadav mean? It means my people is generous.

4. b) What does Nahshon mean? It means enchantment.

4. c) What does Salmon mean? It means garmented.

5. a) What does Boaz mean? It means in strength.

5. b) What does Rakhav mean? It means broad.

5. c) What does Obed mean? It means server.

5. d) What does Ruth mean? It means abundantly watered (with a good drink).

5. e) What does Jesse mean? It means he will exist.

6. a) What does Solomon mean? It means her peace.

6. b) What does Uriah mean? It means light of Yah.

7. a) What does Rehoboam mean? It means he broadened a people.

7. b) What does Avijah mean? It means my Father is Yah.

7. c) What does Asa mean? It means I will measure.

8. a) What does Jehoshaphat mean? It means Yehovah judged.

8. b) What does Jehoram mean? It means Yehovah elevated.

8. c) What does Uzziah mean? It means strength of Yah.

9. a) What does Jotham mean? It means Yehovah is perfect.

9. b) What does Akhaz mean? It means he grasped.

9. c) What does Hezekiah mean? It means Yehovah strengthened/will strengthen.

10. a) What does Manasseh mean? It means Forgetter.

10. b) What does Amon mean? It means Faith.

10. c) What does Josiah mean? It means Yah will do.

11. a) What does Jeconiah/Jehoiachin mean? It means Yah will foundation.

12. a) What does Shealtiel mean? It means I asked a mighty [one].

12. b) What does Zerubbabel mean? It means He scattered confusion.

13. a) What does Abihud mean? It means My father is majesty.

13. b) What does Eliakim mean? It means a mighty-one shall make-stand.

13. c) What does Hazor mean? It means helped.

14. a) What does Zadok mean? It means justified.

14. b) What does Joiakim/Jehoiakim mean? It means Yehovah will make-stand.

14. c) What does Elihud mean? It means My mighty-one is majesty.

15. a) What does Eleazar mean? It means Mighty [one] helped.

15. b) What does Mattan mean? It means gift.

15. c) What does Jacob mean? It means He will heel(pull).

16. a) What does Joseph mean? It means He will gather.

16. b) What does Miriam mean? It means Myrrh of the sea.

16. c) If we propose to add together all the meanings of the names given above, and if we rearrange them just a little so that adjectives are in the right order and articles (a, the) are supplied, what type of a statement is forthcoming? We propose that it will be prophetic. The following is what we derived by the above means:

Lover of Father of a crowd will laugh. He will heel(pull). He confessed Yehovah. He breached a Sunrise. Palm tree Elevated a trumpet blast. My people is generous, enchantment garmented in broad strength. A server abundantly watered (with a good drink). Lover of her peace will exist, the Light of Yah. My Father Yah broadened a people I will measure. Yehovah judged! Yehovah elevated! The Strength of Yah Yehovah is perfect. Yehovah grasped; He strengthened [and] will strengthen a forgetter of Faith. Yah will do! Yah will foundation! I asked a mighty [one]; He scattered confusion. My father is majesty! A mighty-one shall make-stand a Helped [and] Justified [one]. Yehovah will make-stand! My mighty-one is majesty. Mighty [one] helped, a gift. He will heel(pull)! Salvation will gather Myrrh of the sea.

16. d) If the above is correct, what does this mean about the process of naming children in this lineage? What took place? Yehovah is sovereign, including over the naming process. If these names together are also the Word of God (through their meanings), Yehovah made sure that all names were given exactly as He determined. That means that some names may never be used for another human again. All the parents had other children (if more than one child was born), but only those listed are important if prophecy is implanted in these names.

16. e) Are all the names mentioned the names of firstborn? No. Some will be, because the lineage of kings is among them.

If these names were meant to make a sentence that speaks of the End Times and Yeshua, this would be why some of these names were chosen instead of another sibling’s name. A number of the folks in this lineage were unrighteous, and a few were slime. Yet their names are what is important to the lineage if the names form a paragraph.

16. f) What is the difference between adding all the names together to form a supposed paragraph and skipping every other letter in order to obtain a new writing that is secret, the technique of numerologists? The differences include the following:

Connecting Names

Skipping Letters

This uses names that are part of open infallible Scripture.

This is an occult (hidden) technique that has no open example.

This employs definitions that usually can be found.

This assumes that all scrolls have the same Hebrew letters, which they don’t.

This is concentrating on the text.

This is distracting from the text to find occult messages.

This assumes that texts are literal.

This assumes that messages are hidden; from whom are they hidden?

 

 

 

16. g) Why is Joseph mentioned in this lineage when he had nothing to do with Yeshua’s birth? Why even have a lineage of Joseph when he is a non-participant? The Bible is never meant to be read and understood in a piecemeal fashion when the other parts are available. (If they are not available, the pieces that are available may be read in this fashion, for Yehovah can supply what is missing. If they are available, however, there is no reason for Yehovah to supply what isn’t missing; He doesn’t reward laziness.) Since Luke gives the genealogy of Miriam, the reader can see where the two lineages departed from each other, and can see that both Miriam and Joseph were from David. But Joseph was from a lineage with a curse, while Miriam is from a lineage without a curse. One king in Joseph’s lineage did such a wrong that Yehovah pronounced a curse on that line. Thus, the careful reader will know that the lineage of Joseph was included fully to substantiate that there is no way that Joseph could have fathered the Messiah.

Jeremiah 36:30 Therefore thus saith Yehovah of Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

From verse 14, Jehoiakim is given a specific curse: he will never have anyone to sit upon the throne of David. (This did not mean that this lineage was excluded from being greatly blessed in all other ways.) If Messiah had come through him, Messiah could not have sat on David’s throne.

16. h) Why does the text explain that Yeshua was called Messiah instead of indicating that He was and is the Messiah? The Bible usually leaves conclusions up to readers rather than telling them what to believe. This is the tenor of the entire Bible. It gives Truth in a way that a reader can easily twist it into error. It also gives Truth in a way that one who desires to know will find it presented in a most candid way.

16. i) What does Messiah mean? It means anointed. Thus, this text indicates that Yeshua is called anointed.

16. j) For what purpose was He anointed? This text states that He is anointed by using the word Messiah. He was anointed to be the sacrifice for sin. Yet this is a death issue. For what was He anointed while He lived? He was anointed to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and to do many miracles.

16. ?) What is the purpose of anointing? It is not for the purpose of equipping. If it were, everyone anointed while functioning in the anointing would do right. Some are anointed to positions in which they will do violence. One king was anointed to slaughter Israelis. He was a wicked and cruel man. Anointing is not necessarily for good. Anointing is an assignment. The anointing, therefore, guarantees that a person will succeed in doing a task or series of tasks (if the person lives). Anyone who lays a hand on one anointed by Yehovah in such a way that it would stop the person from that assignment (whether good or bad) is challenging Yehovah. If a person does violence against one who is anointed without knowing that the person was anointed, that is still a violation. One man put King Saul out of his misery. He then came to David to give him the crown that King Saul wore, telling what he had done. David paid him well with a sword in his gut for his trouble. He should have known that King Saul was anointed by Yehovah. This is also why Yehovah makes sure to have anointings eventually be publicized.

An anointing is not a calling. The callings of Yehovah are always for good and for benefit (even if one is killing Palestinians). An anointing is an assignment, especially to a position. What one does in that position can greatly vary.

The only persons who are legitimately able to anoint are prophets and God. Anyone who anoints is claiming to be a prophet. Thus, if the person isn’t really a prophet, the person is a false prophet, and that is a lethal profession. The one anointing is absolutely claiming to speak for God. This includes folks who anoint for healing.

16. k) When was Yeshua anointed? The anointing was official when John baptized him.

16. l) What is the normal tool of anointing? Olive oil being poured over one’s head (in large quantities) is the normal tool; baptism is not. Yet this is when the Spirit of Yehovah came on Him to start His ministry.

16. m) Who usually anoints (in the Bible)? Only a prophet or Yehovah can anoint, since the anointing is accompanied by infallible information and an assignment of a position from God. Anyone claiming the right and power of anointing is also necessarily claiming infallibility in that anointing. The person is also claiming to prophesy, whether the person understands that or not.

I know of no seminary that refrains from anointing their graduates to the ministry.

Modern ordination is exactly the same as anointing. A person or a group is declaring that another is ordained by God to a work.

16. n) If a person, then, anoints another without being called of God to do that (with a calling that meets Biblical requirements), is that person blaspheming? Yes.

16. o) If a person anoints another with oil, then prays for the person’s recovery (not claiming that the God will heal the person), is that blasphemy? No; it is just stupid and can eventually lead that person to blaspheme.

If they pray over the person while anointing the person with oil, and their prayer is a request, they combining error with a prayer as if that error will aid the prayer in being answered. They think they are following the command in the Book of Jacob (James):

James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

This text has a target (the Israelis) and a timing. It has guarantees. Folks who do not consider these things are playing.

17. a) What does this verse indicate about the definition of a Biblical generation? This verse shows that generations hang on particular families and ranks in their areas. Thus, Yehovah viewed these generations as three times 14, or 42 generations, regardless of the many other birthings and deaths that occurred at the very same time. Yehovah sees a generation in terms of one ruling or important culture and family, not in terms of death to death and birth to birth. Therefore, the term “World War II generation” is correct in Biblical terms. Three other texts speak of one thousand generations from the giving of the Covenant to Avraham to the end of the planet. Therefore Yehovah must have 1,000 specific generations in mind regardless of what is occurring in other cultures in the world. These generations must pertain to Israel, to Avraham’s offspring, the David’s lineage, and indeed to David’s lineage! These generations are attached to a particular administration. They move quickly because they depend on one person each. Other generations can outlive five or six births and deaths of fathers to sons. The Greek word genea, genea does not carry the same meaning as the Hebrew word rwd, dor. The Greek word indicates genesis, beginnings, while the Hebrew word indicates periods, ages. The three texts refer to the Hebrew generations, and we will not be able to tell how long that is until it has occurred unless Yehovah gives more information.

17. b) Why did Yehovah divide the 42 generations into threes with the first three being specifically from Avraham to David, the second three being from David to the carrying away of Babylon, and the third being from the carrying away of Babylon to Messiah? Doesn’t this mean that the last of the first two sets also is the first of the last two sets, making it two less than 42? The ending of the first two sets took place during the administration of the last generation. Thus, David both oversaw the ending of the 14th generation AND oversaw the first of the 15th generation. The same is true of the Babylonian exile; it ended one generation, and it also began a new generation. Thus, it is mentioned twice. These divisions are because (I propose) Israel was not important as a world power before King David’s time. Israel became a true world power during King David’s administration, and was a major force in the Middle East until the Babylonian captivity. Then Israel resumed being a minor force in the world with very few exceptions. (We are living during a curious exception.)

18. a) What is so important about giving the details of Yeshua’s birth?

  • This is necessary to show regarding the virgin birthing a child while she is still in her virginity.
  • This shows the responses of the various folks involved.
  • This shows how Yehovah communicates and does when His plan is being directly activated.
  • This shows how others not directly involved responded to Yeshua’s birth.
  • This shows the controversies over His birth.
  • These details demonstrate prophetic fulfillment (in a few cases).

18. b) Does this verse claim that Yeshua was indeed anointed? Yes! It is part of the text.

18. c) What does betrothed mean? It does not mean promised, and it does not mean engaged. It means that they are fully husband and wife, but they have not sexually consummated the marriage. The only way to break a betrothal is through a divorce.

18. d) What type of ceremony occurred at a betrothal? The ceremony wasn’t at the betrothal. The betrothal instead was a covenant or an agreement of some type akin to the purchase of a house or the selling of a mule. The folks who make this betrothal agreement can be parents or can be the adults themselves who are about to be betrothed. Many factors can determine who does what. Kings would sometimes use diplomats to become betrothed.

18. e) Who participated in the betrothal agreement between Miriam and Joseph? The text does not say. It only states, “having been betrothed” as if Miriam was either not the one doing the betrothal or that she was already betrothed to him at the time indicated in this verse.

18. f) How old were Miriam and Joseph at the time of this betrothal? The text doesn’t say. Assuming an age for them will lead to error, not truth.

18. g) Who found Miriam to be pregnant? We can’t tell who was the first to determine that she was pregnant. She did not tell anyone that she was pregnant; she hid the information in her heart. There is no indication that she discussed this with Joseph. He was clueless regarding what was occurring.

18. f) This verse states that she was found pregnant from the Spirit of the Holy One. Who would have known that the source of the child was Yehovah’s Spirit? This isn’t referring to what humans determined, but instead what Yehovah and the angels knew. No human except Miriam knew. And Miriam found herself pregnant. She had been told that she would become pregnant, but she didn’t know when. Luke 1 explains, and does not include a timing for the pregnancy nor even that she knew when the conception occurred. She only knew that it would occur.

18. g) What is significant if she was found to be pregnant before they came together? She would know that the testimony of the angel was true; she would certainly know if Joseph and she had had sexual intercourse. Readers who believe the text would also know that no sexual act of a man took place before the pregnancy.

18. h) Could Miriam and Joseph participate in sexual intercourse after she was found pregnant? The issue is not whether they could have done that; it is instead that they didn’t:

Matthew 1:25 And he knew her not until she brought forth her son—the firstborn.

19. a) What was Joseph planning to do (described as putting her away)? He was planning to divorce her. She was pregnant; she had not stated how that came about; he would not be able to trust her.

19. b) Could he have suspected that Messiah’s being born of a virgin might have been fulfilled in Miriam? Wouldn’t Joseph, a spiritual man, have thought that Miriam could have been the bearer of the Messiah? Joseph’s spirituality was of a nature to not presume or assume without evidence. He would know that Yehovah could do as Yehovah desired, but that didn’t mean that he would give a pregnant woman that means of escaping her participation even in the plan of God without some type of evidence or proof.

19. c) Would Joseph have known Miriam very well, or would they have been betrothed without knowing each other? Had parents arranged the marriage, they would have known each other in most cases (unless the marriage was for power or wealth). Parents normally knew each other before ‘selling’ their children together. I have found no indication of parental participation in the betrothal of Joseph and Miriam. My impression is that Joseph was older. His reaction to her pregnancy doesn’t sound like a 20-year-old.

19. d) What is the difference between the two following statements?

“Joseph her husband secretly purposed to put her away”

or

 “Joseph her husband purposed to put her away secretly”

In the first statement, he was planning in secret: Miriam would not know. In the second statement, he was going to put her away in a manner that others would not find out he had done that in order to save her from shame.

19. e) Which of the above is correct? The first is correct: “Joseph her husband secretly purposed to put her away” as if he would not tell her until he did it. Yet the rest of the verse shows that his intention was to not publicly expose her.

19. f) What does his being righteous have to do with his unwillingness to expose her publicly?

Deuteronomy 24:1 When a man hath taken a woman and married her, and it come to pass that she finds no favour in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he shall write her a bill of divorcement and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s.

If Joseph had ruined her reputation, he would have drastically cut the possibility of her becoming another man’s (wife). He was going to do according to the Torah, and not taint her in the process. Joseph had no proof that she had been whoring around. All he knew was that she was pregnant, and had not explained to him how that had come about. For all he knew, she might have been raped.

19. g) How did Joseph know that Miriam was pregnant? Was she showing? Yes, she was showing, but that may not be the full explanation. Thanks to Kristen, I add the following thoughts: In Luke 1, Miriam goes to see Elizabeth. In verse 1:43 Elizabeth seems to be speaking in the present tense when she says, “the mother of my Lord should come to me” as though Miriam is already with child. Miriam stays with Elizabeth about 3 months according to Luke 1:56. At the time of her return, if Miriam is with child, she could be showing entering possibly her 4th month. Word of mouth about Elizabeth’s exclamation could have gotten to others and then to Joseph. I know the text does not tell specifically. (Thank you, Kristen, for that correction.)

19. h) Did folks gossip about them after they did come together? Absolutely. That was a scourge that they both faced. Some knew that the child was from Yehovah; most didn’t. A prophet and a prophetess both publicly spoke of His being the promised one, the Messiah. Anyone challenging them would be calling them false prophets. Thus, there was a split in Israel over Yeshua’s legitimacy.

20. a) What was he pondering? He was pondering about her pregnancy and how to divorce her without publicly exposing her. He also would have been pondering the hurt and heartbreak that he was experiencing.

20. b) Why did the angel of Yehovah wait to appear to him at this last moment, thus increasing Joseph’s suffering? The question is flawed. The angel didn’t wait; Yehovah didn’t dispatch the angel until this time. Therefore, the question must be address to Yehovah’s timing. Why did Yehovah wait? Yehovah often waits. This is how Joseph’s character is shown. Joseph’s character was right and righteous up to the very point at which he was going to act. This character aspect was exposed to all readers of the Bible.

20. c) Why did the angel appear to Joseph in a dream instead of in person? Joseph did not need a personal appearance to believe what he was told. That dream was enough for Joseph, showing Joseph’s character. Others might have insisted on or needed a personal appearance.

20. d) How can an angel appear in a dream? If Yehovah has sent an angel to a person to appear in a dream, Yehovah will give that angel interactivity in that dream. Yehovah is sovereign over dreams.

20. e) Why did the angel refer to Joseph as “Yoseph ben David,” or “Joseph son of David” when Yoseph’s father was another Jacob (verse 16 above)? Joseph was in the direct lineage of King David. Yet this had nothing to do with Yeshua, since Yeshua did not come from Joseph. Still, the angel recognized that Yeshua’s caretaker was as much from King David’s lineage as Yeshua’s mother, though through separate lines. This connection with the righteous King David was a very good way to refer to Joseph.

20. f) The next statement (“Fear not to take to Miriam thy wife”) implies that Joseph may have feared to take Miriam his wife. Is this true? If so, explain. Because the angel had complete information, the reader can rightly assume that Joseph did fear to take her as his wife. (They were already married!)

20. g) Why did Joseph fear to take his wife Miriam? I will propose some ideas why he feared:

  • Joseph knew that her reputation in this community was ruined; her living there would be torture.
  • Joseph’s own reputation could easily be ruined such that his business would be greatly diminished because he had taken a tarnished woman in spite of her being tarnished.
  • Joseph had not heard the true events from Miriam; she had not said a word. How could Joseph deal well with a woman who could experience something as important as a pregnancy, yet not speak to him about it? How could he participate in her happiness when he had no idea of the events that led to it?
  • How would Joseph know whether she would be faithful to him if she could become pregnant by some other means even while they were married (and they were already married!)?

20. h) Explain the wording of “What is in her is holy”: The baby is the object of the pronoun what. This is no insult, but was a normal expression. Since the child was described as holy, the child was owned. The angel didn’t specify the owner, but the sender of the angel sent to let Joseph know that that child was owned, implying Yehovah as the Owner.

20. i) What does “what is in her is begotten of the Spirit” mean? This directly links Yeshua to the Spirit of Yehovah. Thus, anyone who challenges Yeshua’s station is challenging the Spirit of Yehovah, according to this text.

21. a) Who was assigned to call the child’s name Salvation? (Who is thou?) The first pointer is to Joseph. He has been given an assignment, and thus he is now involved. Then, this text is prophetic, for all Israel will call His Name Salvation.

21. b) Whom will He save, according to this verse? He will save His people from their sins. His people refers to the People of Israel, and no other group.

21. c) What is a people? It is a group of individuals with a common culture. A nation on the other hand is exactly the same as a race. The United States is not a nation in the Biblical sense, but the Cherokee is a nation in the Bible sense. The United States is an empire in the Biblical sense (regardless of its form of government) since an empire encompasses numerous races and peoples.

21. d) What event is this when He will save His people from their sins? The provision is in the crucifixion. The event is during the Tribulation, since this refers to the entire people.

21. e) How will He do this? He is the sacrifice and the substitute. Numerous texts describe this event. Some even tell how. For one thing, He will call, and they will answer. His Goodness will draw them to repentance—His Goodness, and not the terrible things going on.

21. f) If this is the case, why didn’t this happen long ago? The Israelis will not be ready for this until the time of the Tribulation. A strange set of events will make them ready, but they will not be made ready by Tribulation itself. If they were, they would be ready by the middle of the Tribulation. Instead, they will be ready by some time in the 7th year. Apart from this, I don’t know what means Yehovah will use. It won’t be a case of His sovereignly overruling their hearts. That would eliminate faith.

Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of His Goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the Goodness of God leads thee to repentance?

21. g) What will be the effect of his (the people’s) being saved from the sins of the Israelis? The effect will be that the Israelis will become free of sin, and will stay free of sin.

22. a) Look at the wording: “Now this all came to pass that what was spoken by Yehovah through the prophet will be fulfilled.” What is this statement communicating? The first part of the statement is: “Now this all came to pass.” This describes a historical event. This event occurred, but it occurred for a reason that had nothing to do with the event itself. The text continues, “that what was spoken by the Yehovah through the prophet;” this is a reference to a historical prophecy, telling that these things had already been declared. The last part of the statement is what is so curious, for it states, “that what was spoken by Yehovah through the prophet will be fulfilled” in the future. It has not yet occurred, and will not occur until the End Times. Most all of what was spoken by the prophet has yet to be fulfilled.

23. a) If the above answer is correct, what in verse 23 has yet to be fulfilled? The meaning of the name Immanuel declares a future event, since the Mighty One of Israel is not yet among the Israelis in person. They cannot declare, “God is with us!” and be right. He may show His hand on their behalf, but abiding with them awaits a future time.

The command, “Behold the pregnant virgin!” has never been obeyed. When Israel finally beholds the pregnant virgin, Israel will see Israel’s Son. That will be when they believe.

The item that hasn’t been fulfilled is this: “they shall call His Name Immanuel,” the Israelis believing that He is indeed God with them.

23. b) What is the difference between the statement, “Behold the pregnant virgin” and “A virgin shall conceive”? One difference is that the first refers to the present tense, while the second declares what will occur. Another difference is this: The first declares the pregnancy of a virgin, something that cannot normally happen. The second declares that a virgin shall or will conceive, something that happens every day. It isn’t worded right. Virgins can easily conceive, though their virginity has been removed by the sexual act that leads to conception. In other words, the normal wording easily leads to doubt regarding the possibility of the miraculous aspect.

24. a) Who aroused Joseph from sleep? It appears that either the angel or the dream aroused him. (If it were a farm animal, the text didn’t say.)

24. b) Does this verse indicate some form of speed on the part of Joseph? It seems to indicate this. If this were not the case, the arousal from sleep would have been superfluous information.

24. c) How often is a man ordered to take his own wife in the Bible? I can think of no instance.

24. d) What does this wording show about the legal relationship between Joseph and Miriam? It shows that they were already legally married; the word wife is found in the Greek (or woman, if you prefer).

24. e) What did the taking of a wife (or woman) involve? The taking involves a living quarters that is in common. Once they are living under the same roof, the woman has been taken. She was already married to him.

25. a) Did he ever know her? Yes. They had children. (Some do not believe this; they figure she remained a virgin, and in their eyes, maintained purity. This ignores at least one text describing Yeshua as having a brother.)

Galatians 1:19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.

25. b) Did Joseph obey the angel of Yehovah? Yes; he called the child’s name Salvation (Yeshua).

25. c) Did Miriam ever directly explain to Joseph what had occurred? We don’t know.